Safety-can



No. 748,784. 'PAT ENTED JAN. 5, 1904:r

' W. H. PEARSON.

SAFETY CAN.

APPLIUATION nun JAN. 16', 1903.

N0 MODEL.

, ATTORNEY.

ms norms PETERS no vns'munga; wAsnmuTcm. a c.

UNITED STATES fPatented January 5, 1964.

PATENT OFFICE.

' SAFETY-CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,784, dated January 5, 1904.

Application filed January 16, 1903. Serial No. 139,269. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAMH. PEARSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and nozzle of a can, such as a kerosene-can or the like, to enable the spent to be closed from the inside more effectively and to enable this to be done automatically upon closing the top of the can, to secure a strong, durable, and efficient construction and one not liable to get out of order, and to secure other advantages and results some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved safety-can and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as Will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the can to which my invention is applied, the side wall of the can being broken away to disclose the interior parts more fully. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section showing the nozzle closing means in open position. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing said parts in closed position. Fig. 4: is a section taken in a plane at right angles to the sectional plane of Figs. 2 and 3, and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of ears upon which a certain lever may be fulcrumed and the bail or handle of the can secured.

In said drawings, 2 indicates the cylind rical body portion of a can of any ordinary type or construction having the centrally raised or rounded top or dome 3 apertured or perforated at its center and provided with an exteriorly-threaded neck 4 at the perforation. The can is adapted, as usual, to be filled through said neck 4, and said neck also provides a passage for venting and pouring from the can, a screw-cap 5 being adapted to close said neck when desired. At some point radially outward from said neck the top or dome 3 of the can is provided with the spout or nozzle 6, from which liquid contents of the can may be poured, and it is to provide means for closing the nozzle end of the said spout or nozzle simultaneously and automatically uponv closing the cap 5 that this invention is designed. Said spout at its inner end preferably projects inwardly into the interior of the can, as at 61, and thus provides a more efiective seat for the stopper,

enabling the latter to more perfectly close the outflow-passage of the spout. The stopper or valve 7, adapted to close the inner end of said spout, is of a somewhat soft material, such as cork orot her impermeable matter, not afiected by the fluid contents of the can. Said cork or soft-stopper is arranged within a cup 71, fixed or otherwise formed upon one end 81 of a lever 8, adapted to extend from said spout toward the vertical central line of the can. The opposite end or arm 82 of said lever is pivotallyconneoted to a plunger 9,which extends upward loosely through a guide 10, projectingfrom the interior walls of the can, and has its upper end lying in the neck 4 of the can, as shown. Said lever 8 is integrally formed upon or with a rocking shaft 12, the latter being virtually apart of said lever 8. Said shaft extends at right angles to the plane of said lever-arms and plunger 9 and is pivoted at its opposite ends in ears 13, secured tothe inner walls of the can. A spiral spring 14,

wound upon said rocking shaft 12, is secured thereto at one end and to one of the ears 13 at the other end and is normally under tension to hold said rocking shaft, with the stopper or valve, away from the nozzle 5 and to force the plunger upward, so that it projects up through the neck 4. of the can. An arm 15, rigidly fixed on and projecting from the rocking shaft 12, positively engages at its extremity the interior wall of the can to limit the movement of the rocking shaft and prevent undue projection of the plunger.

I prefer, with a view to economy and strength, to slot the raised top of the can at opposite sides .thereof, and through the said slots 17 I thrust the cars 13, formed as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, said ears being preferably formed to conform to the interior of the top at points intermediate of their ends to form seats 18, and thus adapted to present broad surfaces conducive to strong soldering. From the seat 18 of each ear one perforated extension 19 projects downward away from the inner surface of the can-top to receive the shaft 12, while another perforated extension 20 passes up through the slot 17 to receive the handle at the outside of the can.

In operation it is obvious that as the screwcap 5 is screwed into place upon the neck 4: of the can it will engage the top of the plunger 9, and so swing the lever 8 against the power of the spiral spring 14 to throw the stopper or valve 7 against the interior extension of the mouth of the spout or nozzle 5. The strength of the spring serves to force the projecting end 61 into the soft body to make an impervious joint. The can may then be transported in any way without danger of escape or leakage of the contents, and when it is desired to again pour from the can the screw-cap 5 need only to be loosened to permit such pouring.

By the construction thus described Iprovide means which can be very cheaply and easily applied to a can in the process of manufacturing the same and which at the same time are strong and durable and will act positively and without loss of motion.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The combination with the can, of a lever comprising a shaft adapted to extend from side to side of the raised top of the can, arms 81, and 82, one having a stopper and the other a plunger and a stop-arm 15 rigid upon and projecting from the said shaft and adapted to engage the top interior wall of the can and limit the movement of the lever, said shaft and arms 81 and 82, and stop-arm being all of one integral piece, a guide for the plunger and a spring, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the can having a neck and nozzle, of a lever comprising a shaft to extend from side to side of the raised top of said can, a spring arranged on said shaft, arms 81 and 82, one having a soft stopper applied to its end and the other a pivoted plunger, a stop-arm rigidly formed on said shaft to limit the movement of the lever, a guide for the plunger, and a cap for closing the neck and engaging the plunger to efiect a closing of the nozzle, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the can having a centrally-raised top, a neck and a nozzle, and having opposite slots or openings, with ears extending therethrough, said ears providing bearings for a handle or bail on the outside and fulcrumal bearings for a lever on the inside of said can, of a lever having at one end a stopper for the nozzle and at the other end a plunger for the cap, and said cap, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the can having a centrally-raised top a neck and a nozzle, and having opposite slots or openings with ears extending therethrough said ears providing bearings for a handle or bail on the outside and fulcrumal bearings for a lever on the inside of said can, of a lever having at one end a stopper of soft material sealed in a bowl and at the other end a plunger for the cap and said cap, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the can having a centrally-raised top, a neck and a nozzle, and having opposite slots or openings, with ears extending therethrough, said ears providing bearings for a handle or bail on the outside and fulcrumal bearings for a lever on the inside of said can, of a lever-having at one end a stopper of cork screwed into a threaded bowl attached to the lever, and having at the other end a plunger forthe cap, and said cap adapted to close the neck and press the plunger to turn the lever and close the nozzle, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of January, 1903.

WILLIAM H. PEARSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, 0. B. PITNEY. 

